From Aether was able to deduce the crater's diameter could only be calculated in a hundred of kilometers. The roots of the giant tree, which could be seen protruding from the soil far below, seemed like tiny blades of grass in comparison to the sheer size of the abyssal chasm's.
So if he and Seraphine ran at high speeds they could cross the crater in only two or three hours.
Even before the dark sea had retreated they were climbing down to the crater as the sea was retreating. Zheshi was hovering above them, crossing out pathways and sending the information to Aether's mind.
They ran forward at high speeds, Aether was a demon so he was faster than any normal sleeper. As for Seraphine, she seemed to be very fast too. But Aether was still holding his speed back so that she could keep up with him without straining her stamina.
The duo avoided the abominations Zheshi detected along the way. She was certainly very useful, Aether was going to spoil her with a lot of delicious food if she ever gained a certain form that could eat!
Just like that, they reached the end of the crater in four hours, they had taken small breaks along the way to not overwork themselves.
As Aether climbed up the crater, his eyes shot open as he reached the top.
A tall city wall built of grey polished stone was towering over the giant chasm of the abyss. It looked ancient but still impenetrable, able to withstand the crushing pressure of the dark sea for a thousand more years.
"What are you spacing out fo-"
Both of them sat on the ground, looking ahead of them.
"Do you think the citadel is here?" Seraphine asked, her voice contained slight excitement.
"Don't get your hopes high."
"Killjoy.." She punched him in the shoulder, making him grunt.
Soon, they were standing beneath the impregnable stone walls of the mysterious city. Behind them, the great chasm of the vast crater stretched to the horizon.
The city wall was built from massive slabs of grey granite. Still wet from the cold touch of the cursed sea, the ancient weathered stones looked almost black. Despite the thousands of years that passed since the mysterious builders of the wall had disappeared into the fog of time, it still looked monumental and unassailable.
The joints between the granite slabs were barely wide enough to insert a narrow blade.
After a short rest, they decided that it would be easier to climb the wall instead of circling it in search of an entrance. Even if they were to find a gate, there was no guarantee that it would be open.
Climbing the wet granite was not an easy task, but they somehow managed. When there was nothing to use as a hold, Aether and Seraphine resorted to using their swords by inserting them into the joints between the slabs. A few unpleasant cuts later, they found the right rhythm and made quick progress.
Pretty soon, they had reached be top of the massive wall and climbed over its edge.
Beneath them, an expansive city lay in ruins. The beautiful stone buildings were broken and shattered, many of them turned into mere piles of rubble. There were no people walking along the wide streets, no clamor of voices to drive away the silence. Under the cold grey sky, the ruined city looked dead and mournful.
It was impossible to say what terrible disaster had happened here, but it was clear that it was not natural. Many of the collapsed houses were blackened by fire, with claw marks cut into the still-standing fragments of walls. Here and there, monstrous bones of ancient horrors protruded from the ground, telling tales of desperate battles that must have had taken place on these streets once, a long time ago.
The ruined city was teeming with Nightmare Creatures.
"Even more nightmare creatures."
Aether shared the information he got from Zheshi with Seraphine. Who was down in the moods again.
The tall city wall they were standing on was as wide as a road. It stretched endlessly in both directions, enclosing the vast ruins into a strangely perfect circle. Every so often, there were towers built into its impenetrable granite body, serving as bastions against potential enemies.
"Look!"
Seraphine pointed at something in the distance.
There was a magnificent castle standing on a hill in the middle of the ruins. It looked like something out of a legend. Its walls were built from radiant white stone, with tall towers and majestic spires piercing the sky. It stood above the city like symbol of hope, the only thing in this hell that seemed to be untouched by the darkness.
But Aether was looking past it with narrowed eyes. Now, all he could see was the dark silhouette of a cyclopean tower that loomed above the world like an unholy spear made out of solidified blood. As soon as Aether saw it, his heart was gripped by an unexplainable sense of unease.
"Aether! Lets find a way down."
Hearing her voice, he cleared his mind out of unnecessary thoughts and followed her.
...Soon, they were closing in on one of the mighty towers built into the wall. The structure was round in shape, rising above the main embankment by a good dozen meters. There was a wide wooden gate leading inside the tower, which was broken a long time ago, with only a few splinters remaining on the ancient iron hinges.
A minute later, they left the granite tower and stepped onto the streets of the Dark City.
Seraphine had summoned her short swords, and Aether had summoned his saber.
The mournful ruins of the once-great city sprawled around them like a desolate stone maze. With grey skies above and nothing but dead silence surrounding the two Sleepers, it seemed as though they were walking through a vast, cyclopean graveyard.
Zheshi was giving him information about which direction he should go into and which ones he should not. He was also observing the world from her eyes as he led Seraphine.
Traversing the ruins turned out to be a slow ordeal. The huntress lead them through the complex maze of wide and narrow streets following a strange, convoluted path that only Zheshi knew. Often, they would have to stop and hide, waiting for some unseen danger to pass.
"Aether.." Seraphine whispered behind him. Aether turned to look at her, only to see that she had a very bright smile on her face.
"There are humans around. I can hear them. But they are having a dispute with another group of humans. Could we please go there?"
What she said was surprising. Aether did not have much hope that there would be humans around.
And he had finally learnt how just vast her senses were. Even with the help of Zheshi, he had not seen or sensed anyone around.
He gestured for her to lead the way. Only to take the lead once again once he saw the group through Zheshi's eyes. The duo walked up the stairs to a house's terrace and watched.
Currently, a group of women were being surrounded by a group of men that did not seem to have good intentions. Zheshi gave him the information that they were only sleepers too, this rose questions inside Aether's mind. However there was another problem at hand.
Aether held out a hand for Seraphine to stop, who was going to shoot her arrow almost at the same time when she saw the men trying to harass the group of women.
"Leave it to me."
'Lets see what I can do..'
Just like that, he activated his [Imagination] ability.
***
The women who were clad in armor and weapons were ready to defend themselves. However the group that was going to attack them had greater numbers.
"Leave us alone! Know that if you will attack us you will definitely suffer losses on your part too!"
A tall man with brown colored hair and fair skin laughed. He seemed to be the leader of the group.
"Foolish girl, do you really think you stand a chance against us..-"
The man suddenly lost his footing as the world shook around him. The people around him vanished. He was left alone, kneeling on the ground in the middle of the streets inside the dark city.
And then suddenly from the corner of his eye he suddenly made out figures in the distance.
Shadows?
And then he heard the sound of the spell whisper into his ears.
[Abomination, The Godless is looking at you.]
A shiver ran through him as the cold wind caressed his skin. The man grew tense, feeling a sensation that was akin to the gentle touch of two fingers slowly crawling their way up his arm.
'What is looking at me..? Where is it..?'
"Haa... Haa..."
He felt his breath grow heavy, and as he tried to swallow, He found himself unable to. Something had gripped his throat. Something imaginary.
It prevented him from swallowing.
"H-hah."
His chest trembled.
'There was nothing in front of him...'
So why...?
Why did he feel so scared?
He could feel the beat of his heart.
It was fast.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump!
And loud.
"Ha..."
It went faster.
And faster.
faster....
"Haa... Haa.. Ha..."
Fear had gripped him.
It was slowly consuming him.
He could feel it.
But why?
'...I need to run. Get away from here.'
Soon, he found himself sprinting forward. He ran as if his life depended on it. He didn't know why he was acting like this, but if there was something he knew it was that I needed to run.
He needed to get away from the shadows.
His face suddenly came smashing against a hard surface.
Ignoring the pain, he looked up.
A shadow appeared. Its appearance remained a mystery to him. It wobbled in front of him, staring down at him as if he were some sort of prey.
The shadow reached out for his throat, gripping it tightly. His eyes bulged, and he felt his body grow limp.
Cr Crack--!
He felt his neck snap and the world turned dark again.
***
The women were staring at the man in front of them strangely. The man had suddenly collapsed to the ground and had started screaming in fear and terror. Tears fell down his cheeks like rivers.
Fortunately they had deployed a memory to block the sound from getting outside so no monster heard them.
However what was happening in front of them was really strange. Just what was happening here? The mans subordinates were trying to calm him down, only to be met with even more screams and cries.
And then they saw two figures approaching them from a distance.
A handsome looking man with messy shoulder-length hair that was wearing a fancy garment. A smirk adorned his features as he looked at the group of men smugly.
The woman next to him had a stern expression on her face. She had unnatural navy hair that was tied into twin tails. She held a bow that was already loaded with an arrow.
"Greetings gentlemen. How about you leave the women alone? I promise to spare you all if you do."
"Were you the one who did this to our leader??" One of the men shouted. "You are going to pay!"
Immediately ten men were advancing towards the duo in a half circle. Aether summoned his saber and looked at them with a carefree smile. "So be it."
***
In just a few minutes that had passed, the mysterious man and the woman had slaughtered the men with no difficulty. When they walked over to the women, the man with fancy clothing simply stepped on the leaders head and crushed it beneath his foot.
"Are you ladies alright?"
The one that lead the group of women walked forward and narrowed her eyes at Aether.
"Who are you guys? I have never seen you both around."
"Oh.. we have just arrived to the city from the labyrinth. I am The Blasphemer, and this is Seraphine. We arrived here through the winter solstice."
"You.. you guys survived in the labyrinth for three whole months? How is that even possible? And you.. you have a true name?? Are you guys making fun of me?"
As Aether was about to speak, he noticed Seraphine looking elsewhere. So he followed suit and glanced where she was looking at.
There was a strikingly and exquisitely beautiful woman. Her most striking feature, however, was not her grace and not her beauty, but her skin. It was grey like stormy clouds, smooth like silk, and devoid of any imperfections. Her teeth were perfectly even, pearly, and spotlessly white.
She was carrying a hammer in her hands and there was even more women that followed behind her.
The women immediately circled them and the leader stood in front of him, observing and analyzing the man in front of him.
"Are you the cause of this carnage?"
Aether tilted his head.
"Yes, I am."
Thankfully the woman that he had spoken to came forwards and explained the whole situation to their original leader, not leaving out a single detail.
"I see. I am Seishan and these are my handmaidens. Thank you for helping them, what do you want from me in exchange?"
"Nothing much, just some information since we are new here."
"Alright then. Please follow us, this place is not ideal for us to speak."
Aether and Seraphine did not resist. Lead by the handmaidens, they walked the streets of the dark city, towards the bright castle.